Jul 23, 2015

Italian fashion brand Bottega Veneta has made their way back to Metropolitan Pavilion to host their annual summer sample sale. I was amongst this morning's shopping crowd who had high hopes of grabbing a deal or two from this luxury fashion house, but will the discounts be as great as their last sale? Or will it all be just an unattainable dream? Let's find out.

With Bottega's iconic intrecciato leather bags starting at $200, many of you may remember last year's BV sample sale created quite the frenzy. The merchandise was snatched up by deft bargain seekers so quickly that almost everything was sold out by the end of the first day. This year, unfortunately, snagging the label's signature weaves seems like a sad sad dream because there was barely anything in the handbag section despite the company's PR dept. (which managed the line outside) assuring the waiting shoppers that there would be tons of bags inside. What I did see, was a purple python travel tote which was priced $1,750 and a shoulder style in signature weave priced $800. Not great.

As for women's and men's footwear, they were displayed along the wall next to the entrance. Prices ranged from $100 to $250 for flats, heels, booties, and boots. Just like the bags, this year's selection for both genders was very scarce with only a few pairs of glittered point toe flats, snakeskin booties, cap-toe pumps, ankle strap platforms, and bow-embellished heels.

The Ready-to-Wear section was comprised of fifteen or so racks of evening gowns, formal dresses, jackets, coats, skirts, pants, and tops from past seasons. Organized by category, prices ranged from $75~$400 while runway styles were marked individually. For men, there were five racks of suiting and shirts. Shirts, each priced $100, included buttoned tops and knitwear while suits were $300.

The sale also had in stock costume jewelry and other accessories. These could be found on tables placed near the cash registers. A quick look turned up $50 earrings, $75 bracelets, and $125 iPad cases. The full price list can be found at the end of this article.

I have tremendous respect for Tomas Maier's work and the Italian label he designs for but, after checking out today's offerings, I realized the brand's sample sales are not worth the hype anymore. The company just doesn't offer enough inventory to accommodate shoppers and prices were nowhere close to sample sale standards even for a luxury brand. I guess this is why I saw many people leaving the sale empty-handed. All in all, the dream of snagging great deals on well-crafted goods at this sale is just that...a dream. So, to those who haven't yet checked out this event, my MizAdvice is to stay away.

19 comments:

Was in the first group in and the selection was AWFUL in comparison to past years. The lowest priced bag was $350 for a FANNY PACK. Last year, I purchased a woven trim crossbody for that amount. Whatever woven they had, they increased pricing 3-4x of their regular sample sale price. In NY, there are many other places you could get Bottega for less, particularly during a dept store sale. Shoes-- no woven styles either as opposed to last year. This used to be an amazing sale, but this year was unbelievably anticlimactic. I didn't bother to buy a bag.

This was such a disappointing sale. Let's face it most of us were there for handbags and SLGs but there was nothing to choose from despite being one of the first people inside. I actually found a wallet but it was so dirty and worn looking I had to put it down. I think the best deals were in jewelry. BV uses very high end materials unlike other designers who just use the cheap stuff for the costume jewelry. My friend and I got real silver pieces that retailed into thousands for just $50-$75. So at least it wasn't a complete waste for us!

I love your site and updates! I completely agree with all comments that their sales are nothing like what they used to be...I used to score big time at BV sales! The bags were WAY overpriced for a sample sale. I saw one clutch left that was priced at $600, which wasn't "terrible" I guess, but too much for a sample sale in my opinion...especially because it was mostly kind of plain. I did get two pairs of shoes at $150 each - one stiletto bootie from their Fall 2014 collection that retailed for $1600, and another stiletto sandal which is an older style but still cute and comfortable, so it wasn't a complete waste of time I guess, but I was definitely expecting much more! I guess this might be how their sales are going forward =(

Thank you so much your kind words and also for taking the time to share your thoughts on this sale. It seems most people were let down this year so hopefully Bottega will turn it around asap and bring their A-game next year.

Strolled into the sale during the last hour and found that tops had been marked down to $50, swimsuits $25, dresses $200, and belts $25 (the last category felt like a steal). A moderate selection of mainly men's bags was discounted an additional 25%. As soon as the sale ended, there was a mad rush of sale employees to the racks (think they'd been given permission to pick out item(s) for free or close to free?

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